There are better performances of Help>Slip>Frank in '77, but everything else is just exactly perfect.

'77 is noted for Jerry's work on the Travis Bean aluminum-necked guitar in the spring tours, but once he got Wolf back out of the shop, he never went back. The guitar sounds fantastic here. The "Let it Grow" and whole second set are stand-outs. "Wharf Rat" is pure magic.

Just listened to this today and this might be my favorite jamming show ever. It starts right away with Help>Slipknot and a 15 minute Franklin's Tower, and Jerry is just flying: Let it Grow.Dancing, Eyes, Not Fade, just sparkling jams. the supporting material is also excellent: PeggyO, Dire Wolf, Jack Straw.

Lucky damn Okies :-)

I love the Help/Slip/Frank on this recording...love the shoes they started that way...then a Peggy-O...I could go on and on about this one, but it is a favorite amongst 100's of shows that I have heard...may not be #1, but it's in my top 10

The SBD is all low-freq thump, so the rest of the show may never be officially released (or maybe when we get to about 2024). It's an average '77 show with the usual highlights. It's a tough year to try to stand out and make, say, the top twenty; especially on the tour that included Colgate.

First Set. The biggest sequence happens right at the top. Help on the Way is all about the soaring tone of the solo. Of the 7 Help>Slip>Franks in '77 only 3 opened the 1st set (4/29 is the big one). Slipknot! is bluesier than the usually jazzier '77s. Franklin's isn't as wild, going heavy on two-chord Rhodes from Keith. The rest is average '77 until the bookenders. Keith goes from electric to grand on El Paso. Donna is too low in the mix at first on an otherwise great Sunrise. Deal is in the freebie pile in '77, but this is a boisterous version. Let it Grow is typical-'77-good. Oddly, the official release fades the final notes into audience noise just to avoid Bobby's break announcement.

Second Set. The whole set is average '77 & GOGD (except for the crucial Eyes). Dire Wolf is a bit well laid back but Estimated has a great ending. The way Bobby and Jer play off each other in Eyes is beautiful. The rest is bland-ish but for a good Wharf Rat. The drummers are out of sync by then, though, especially for Around & Around, and the thudding, overwhelming bass is tiresome if you take the show at one time.

1st Set:  B-
2nd Set: C
Overall = 3 Stars

Highlights:
Help on the Way>Slipknot! - Soaring-toned solo and bluesier than usual
Deal - boisterous version
Eyes of the World - nice tempo, serious Bob/Jer weave

SOURCES: The bettyborad_19239 is pitched too slow. The miller_87514 has basically all of the flaws fixed. The cotsman_19290 has the best image, but most flaws remain. Five from the 1st Set are on Road Trips v. 1 #2, and 5 from the 2nd Set are scattered on Dick's #29.

This is a perfect example of what I've been saying since the beginning; a tape does not tell you how good a show was. The playing at this show sounds fabulous, but, man, had you been at the show, well, it was plain booorrring. I'm telling you, the boys were trying to get the crowd into it, it just never happened. I've never been to a Dead show where the crowd was so lifeless. Seriously, I'm not kidding, never (175 or 80 shows over a 25 yr period). Absolute proof that the crowd is at least half of a GD show. They were playing to us, we weren't playing back.

Download this for free at nugs.net.

Had to comment on this show, even though it's unavailable here, as I've been obsessed with it recently.

One of the stongest shows from one of the Dead's strongest years, this Charlie Miller version is worth seeking out through other online avenues("cough" Lossless Legs "cough.") The Help>Slipknot>Franklin's is so smokin', the band decided not to play it for years, they rock it so hard. Also, the Estimated>Eyes may be the best of the year, along with 6/8's. The rest of the 2nd set is no slouch either, with amazing versions of NFA and Wharf Rat.

And while I'm not a huge fan of Let it Grow, the version here is a major highlight; Jerry's just shooting lightning bolts during the entire jam.

Overall, I'd have to rate this in my top 4 or 5 for '77, mostly because the newer Miller version is so pristine, it really allows me to appreciate this show even more than before.

BTW, this was one of Dick Latvala's top 3 choices for his first Dick's Picks release, along with 12/19/73 and 2/13/70, but for some reason it was never released, except in parts on DP#29 and Road Trips vol.1 no.2.